"Rowdy and I played one-on-one for hours. We played until dark. We played until lit up the court. We played until bats swooped at our heads. We played until the moon was huge and golden and perfect in the dark sky.
We didn't keep score"

This paragraph made me smile like an idiot, it was heart warming and gentle in so many ways and just such a relief. This whole chapter and the past ones have just been stabbing Junior in his heart, he lost his grandmother, friend, and sister. He was at the brink of losing his joy and his happiness, and then his best friend whom he had not spoken too nicely for the past year shows up. Not only dose he wave a white flag for the moment, but he tells his friend he will go place's, he will be someone and Rowdy is so happy that he will get to do that. Then they play the game they love together, they do not compete or strive to show who is stronger; they play as friends, as if the past year of tension hd been a whole blur. I really hope to see these two re-kindle their friendship, that by the end of the book they are standing shoulder to shoulder with smiles on their faces.

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Mikayla Kricfalusi

9/3/2014 11:15:40 am

I feel the same way. Arnold has gone through a lot in a short period of time, and seeing that friendship rekindled brings a sense of completion.

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Morgan King

9/3/2014 11:05:29 am

"What do you say to people when they ask you how it feels to lose everything? When every planet in your solar system has exploded?

After reading this, I found myself lost in a momentary fog of reflection. This statement was the peak of everything dark that had happened in his life, so quickly after everything seemed to be at its best. It took my breath away. I could understand and feel where he was in life briefly, and that is a good sign of well-written literature. What really amazed me, is that in his darkest moments some of his indian ties are severed, he is alienated even further. Possibly because he cursed his family by betraying everyone, I don't think we'll ever know. I do know that nobody grows primarily from good experiences, everyone learns the most from tragedies. I can connect part of his emptiness and sadness to the ending of Romeo and Juliet, when both families are distraught to have lost Romeo and Juliet. However, even at the darkest moment, good things can grow. Both families ended their hatred, while white people became compassionate of Arnold, giving him room to grow.

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Mikayla Kricfalusi

9/3/2014 11:13:44 am

I love your insight on how the best learning experiences come from hard times. I was talking with my teammates before the school year about this, how the best practices in retrospect, are the ones that hurt the most in the moment.

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Mikayla Kricfalusi

9/3/2014 11:10:28 am

“Ninety percent of me wanted to take that break. But I knew if I took that break I would never make the team.”

This quote reminds me of every sport I have ever done. I’ve been there so many times, my body screaming at me to stop and a need to give up overwhelming me. And there is always that little voice in your head telling you “It’s okay, this really doesn’t matter so much. You can stop now, just for a minute… this hurts.” I know what was going through Arnolds’s head, and the battle occurring between his body and mind. I’ve been playing one on one just like that, competing for my position on a team, and giving up is worse than losing. Even if you know you’re going to lose, you can’t stop fighting. Arnold’s coach is looking for that spirit that wants to play and wants to be better. The fact that Arnold realizes his choices goes beyond the game at hand. His choice to not give up now makes him who he is. Every worthwhile aspect of life is like a tough game of full court one on one: it hurts and you want to give up. But if you take that break, it’s all over. Arnold refuses to give in to his body now just like he refused to give in to life at the reservation. His self-control and determination are tools he will rely on to take him through the challenges of his life.

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Christian Klosterman

9/3/2014 11:29:40 am

I loved this part of the chapter, it really shows how Junior has changed since leaving the Rez, from being the person on the bench not wanting to play, to giving it his 110% and putting himself out there.

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Kaeli Leoni

9/3/2014 11:33:29 am

I really like how you related this quote so much to real life and the struggles that come with it and how you related this to your own life.

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TJ Accardi

9/3/2014 12:30:32 pm

I think that with this you just effectively summed up everything big accomplishment. Every time we want to sit down and give up on a hard task we really have to say no unless we want to give up and set ourselves into a state of mind that is really hard to escape from. I also felt like your analysis was very insightful.

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Jenna Welsh

9/3/2014 12:53:22 pm

My favorite part of your analysis was how you connected his refusal to give into his body to his refusal to give into his circumstances. I also agree that the feeling of success comes from knowing that you could have given up, but you didn't.

I really like this quote too it just shows that you shouldn't give up or give in in doing something challenging, especially at the very end.

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Julia Serna

9/3/2014 02:55:24 pm

I love how you related this to your life.

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Kaeli Leoni

9/3/2014 11:22:20 am

"They needed me to be good. They expected me to be good. And so I became good."

I found this quote very empowering. It really shows that if you put your mind to something, you can achieve it. As soon and Junior changed his mindset and became more positive, he actually became a better basketball player. I think that another big contributor to his success was also the encouragement he received from his team. Back on the reservation, his peers and team members would disrespect Junior all the time by calling him mean names and constantly beating him up. No one expected him to be good which made him less confident, so he convinced himself that they were right and played to their standards. However, when he joined the Reardan team, everyone was cheering him on. I think that this accompanied with his positive change in thought made him a better basketball player and shows a lot about how your surroundings/mind can change you and how you act.

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Christian Klosterman

9/3/2014 11:25:59 am

I totally agree, as soon as Junior changed is state of mind, the sky was the limit for him.

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Piper Tompkins

9/3/2014 11:28:30 am

I agree with what you said "Your surroundings/mind can change you and how you act." I think that speaks to everyone, and every body can relate to that.

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TJ Accardi

9/3/2014 12:28:14 pm

I entirely agree with this mostly for the same reasons christian did. I felt that his (the author's) state of mind and character really propelled him to do more than sit in the basement all his life.

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Lucas LeVieux

9/3/2014 12:52:03 pm

This is part of the tipping point of the story for Junior. He figures out that he can have a real, fun and important life. Because when he had people who believed in him, he believed in himself. And that led to success.

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Matt Rose

9/3/2014 02:13:28 pm

I agree and I really wished becoming good at things was that easy, it would make life so much funner.

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Justin Reyes

9/3/2014 03:02:57 pm

I agree with what you said,"positive change in thought". Junior was able to develop that amazing mindset which changed the way he played basketball.

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Jackson

9/3/2014 03:26:01 pm

I feel having others believe in you can make you believe in yourself and it seemed to work for junior. Great quote chose!

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mikey

9/4/2014 02:07:54 pm

i think that your right and if people choose to focus on the bigger picture there really isn't any limit.

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Christian Klosterman

9/3/2014 11:24:44 am

"Yeah, that Eugene, he was a positive dude even as an alcoholic who ended up getting shot in the face and killed." page 188

This quote hit me really hard because of how blunt and straight-forward it was. Junior was thinking about so many things while preparing for the biggest game of his life. It was really amazing later on the next page, how he was analysing how good it felt to win, and compared it to his team being David and Wellpinit being Goliath. Then he realised that although some of the players on his team were going through some serious problems, none of them were like the struggles that the Indians were going through. Some of them didn't even have breakfast or lunch, and yet he was still comparing them to Goliath, the bigger and stronger rival to David, a small kid with lots of courage.

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Kaeli Leoni

9/3/2014 11:30:01 am

I agree with what you said about how the Wellpinit team had gone through so many more struggles than the kids on the Reardan team and how sad it was for Junior to realize what he had done.

I really like how original you are in choosing great quotes and to have such personal responses it gives me inspiration to try and create a great response and quote of my own.

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Justin Reyes

9/3/2014 02:45:27 pm

I agree with you lots and lots Christian. I also would like to point out that when you said "a small kid with lots of courage" it honestly gave me the chills. Good job.

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Kayla Feather

9/3/2014 12:19:06 pm

"My grandmother's last act on this earth was a call for forgiveness, love, and tolerance" page 157
I found this quote so inspirational because the things that his grandmother does natural-being tolerant, forgiving, and loving- are things I wish I could do more on a daily basis. I feel that it would be so difficult To forgive the man who basically killed me, even on accident. Which is a struggle that I feel my whole generation has. I find that it is hard for my generation to be tolerated or forgiving. It really isn't something that is shown to children and a young age. If a family is more tolerant they rarely are also forgiving or as loving .

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Alexis Habib

9/3/2014 12:45:28 pm

As much as I would like to see more tolerance in the world, I just don't think it will happen with as many stuck-up-and-full-of-themselves people that are in our generation.

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Jenna Welsh

9/3/2014 12:48:50 pm

I loved this quote as well. I hope that I can one day be even half as incredible as Junior's grandmother! Love how you connected this to our world today/future generations.

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Emily Hayashida

9/3/2014 01:05:53 pm

Wow this is an amazing quote, and I really enjoy your analysis. While this is a made up story you hope that more people from our generations will follow suit.

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Jack Campbell

9/3/2014 01:52:15 pm

I like how you looked at how our generation and you yourself felt about tolerance and forgiveness.

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Zeke

9/3/2014 02:50:56 pm

I think I see what your saying, and I agree. I think its really an issue with maturity, and as children grow they are introduced to great joys, as well as depressions. I think that as we mature there is no doubt that we all shall have the mind set of Arnie's grandmother

I also agree I thought this part was so touching,I think it related to that essay we read in class of the innocent man who was put to jail because of a mistake and how he forgave her anyways. So when I read this I thought f how angry I would have been but like you said it was just very inspirational.

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Hunter Birk

9/4/2014 08:26:54 am

I think that Junior could have taken this really bad but he came out stronger, and I agree with you that it made him more tolerant.

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TJ Accardi

9/3/2014 12:26:46 pm

"You're an old time nomad" Rowdy said. "You're going to keep moving all over the world in search of food and water and grazing land. That's pretty cool."

I thought this quote brought closure to his relationship with rowdy and kind of said that they basically could never have the friendship they used to have ever again. In another sense it also really pans out the rest of the book for us, or allows us to predict it. This is mostly because of the fact that he is willing to go whatever he needs to do so that he doesn't get stuck on the reservation and has a lot of self motivation. Because of his character I feel like he really will venture far away from the rez, go to college far away, forget about his family, and just kind of move on with his life and eventually become successful like he is now (presumably).

Going beyond the quote I felt like this chapter was a real turning point in his story because people are starting to leave from his life forever (his grandmother, his sister, etc) and he really is starting to see the harshness of a world that was largely calm and protected due to the fact that they always did simple stuff on the rez. Now that he has essentially sparked a small movement to never give up people are starting to see some of the bigger consequences like having loved ones leave (both off to school, and off to the afterlife).

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Piper Tompkins

9/3/2014 12:34:39 pm

I agree I am glad that their relationship got the closure it needed, and I think this quote really sums it up well how they are going different places in their lifes.

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Isaac fernandez

9/3/2014 11:38:17 pm

Yes! I think that it sucks for him to have to end his friendship, but it was just one of the things that he had to say bye to or end if he wanted to get out of the Rez.

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mikey

9/4/2014 02:09:04 pm

I think that its good that they both got closer to one another. I think that itl help them immensely for the future and will bring the both great things!

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Piper Tompkins

9/3/2014 12:30:16 pm

“‘Dont leave me,’ She said. ‘Dont ever leave me’”

I think the author is trying to get across how torn apart Junior’s mother feels. She I think she could live through another death and that is why she came across so angry at him. I think she feels as if she failed and she is going to be 100 percent more protective of Junior now. Losing two people in your life one after the other is causing her to realise how much he means to her. I think this makes him question if he should ever leave the reservation again, this brings up the idea that he feels like his sisters death is his fault. He thinks his actions inspired his sisters and I think that is why it takes him so long to react to his sisters death. He thinks he is at fault when really him and his sister are two different people with different reasons why they chose to leave the res.

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Emily Hayashida

9/3/2014 01:08:38 pm

I think that this is an extremely moving quote, and I'm glad that you did an excellent job on the analysis. I think that living though death of a loved one is one of the most challenging things the human can do and you do a great job of explaining that.

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Camila Antonorsi

9/3/2014 01:33:59 pm

i agree with emily this is a very strong quote and i like how you pointed out that he means so much to her that she is going to be a billion times more protective of him.

Noah Parr

9/3/2014 12:36:34 pm

"I used to think that the world was broken down by tribes,"I said. By black and white. By Indian and white. But I know that isn't true. The world is only broken into two tribes: The people who are assholes, and the people who are not." Page 176

I love this quote. I love the way that his class mates, a group of white privileged students, grouped together to defend Jr, a disabled indian boy who doesn't really belong. But not only did they stand up and protest, he stayed behind and he said this. This powerful little phrase, that I think people should pay attention to. Because we weren't really segregated by race, we were segregated by a-holes.

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Alexis Habib

9/3/2014 12:42:29 pm

I almost forgot about this quote while I was posting my own response! I have to say, when I read over it in the book, I like to think of the face that teacher made!

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Eddie Herrera

9/3/2014 02:42:05 pm

Yeahh Noah Preach it," we shouldn't be judged by the color of our skin or how we look because the truth lies within." -Eddie 2k14

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Michele Moua

9/3/2014 03:15:28 pm

Junior clearly has earned his place in his high school through kindness and standing his ground. People can hate all they want, but the fact that Junior can take all of the negativity, prove to everyone that he's better, then feel an extreme deep sense of remorse shows a lot of character.

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Jackson sjogren

9/3/2014 03:30:06 pm

interesting quote! I think it's funny thats the way these kids view people. But it makes me wonder what happened to them to make them think this?

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Alexis Habib

9/3/2014 12:40:18 pm

"They call me an apple because they think i'm red on the outside and white on the inside." -p. 132

Pushing aside the whole "racism is bad, we need to love everyone" thing for a moment, this quote reminds me of how many people have many different versions of themselves. You act differently when you are interacting with your parents, friends, teachers, employers and even when you are alone. All of these versions add up to make a complete "you". It is said that acting dramatically different around certain people makes you a suck-up, and it's true, but not necessarily bad. We, as humans, always want to show our bast, and adjusting how we present our-selves to do that is almost a purely natural thing. Self preservation and all that jazz.

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Tristan Elghoroury

9/3/2014 02:07:43 pm

yea that is really true that you act differently in front of different people.And I think that junior had to totally live that out when he had to try to fit in at Rearden.

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Eli Murguia

9/3/2014 03:00:07 pm

I really like how you connected people's personalities and how they have different versions of the way that they act with this quote. It really is true how you act differently when around different people, yet the versions of you sum up who you really are inside. Haha I also like your quote because I can relate to being called a coconut, brown on the outside and white on the inside. But hey thats just who I am, people just gotta deal with it :)

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Benjamin Rose

9/4/2014 12:55:15 am

I like your analysis and I agree that people act differently with everyone around them, and that it's a natural thing that happens in everyone.

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Jenna Welsh

9/3/2014 12:46:18 pm

"I was suddenly ashamed that I'd wanted so badly to take revenge on them. I was suddenly ashamed of my anger, my rage, my pain."

I, personally, relate to this event in the story on several levels, and I think most human beings can as well. We are such a vengeful species, that, when we are hurt, we want the person that hurt us to hurt, too. We become blind to their thoughts, feelings, explanations, justifications; all we want is blood. It is one thing to preach mercy and love, but it is an entirely different thing to implement mercy and love right after we've been put through the ringer. I would even go so far as to say that most major conflicts have been based on revenge for a misunderstanding, then revenge for the revenge for the misunderstanding.

But after we've gotten our revenge, we feel even worse, because we've made another person experience what emotionally crippled us in the first place. It's a vicious cycle, and it's one that I think Junior recognized after the basketball game. For me, it's like another person takes over my brain, and then releases it back to me just in time to realize what I've done is horribly wrong. If we could all just somehow learn to stay calm after we've been wronged, and prevent our inner demons from taking over our ability to reason, then we could do what we know we should do: turn the other cheek and forgive. The world would be a much better place. But that's easier said than done. Can somebody get on time-travel, please?

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Morgan King

9/3/2014 01:48:43 pm

I sincerely understood your analogy to the book and history. It is so easy to never think about the horrible things that we have done throughout history. However, I think that with more and more people sharing their stories, people are starting to develop a more evolved sense of forgiveness.

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Lucas LeVieux

9/3/2014 01:49:49 pm

I used the exact same quote!

It's interesting how you point out that expand problems or miscommunications expand. The little things that aggravate us are often what makes us most angry, when they are bounced around in a confusing trail of revenge and strong and variable emotions. The escalating, amplifying effect is something that is easily stopped if stopped early, and calmness indeed could make the world much better.

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Chenoa Levy

9/3/2014 06:33:04 pm

I agree, when a person is blinded by anger they don't think of the consequences of their actions and the effect it has on others

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Emily Hayashida

9/3/2014 01:03:55 pm

"I prayed to God that my father would come driving up in his old car." Pg. 203
I think that this quote is extremely emotional, and reading it you can't help but have compassion towards Junior. Throughout his life Junior has experienced hardships, and as I followed his journey I noticed that almost subconsciously he has become tougher. While Junior has endured many hardships he has gotten by with the assistance of his family. In this quote specifically you see how even at a time of loss, Junior is still thinking about others and their safety. Even though Junior is a made up character, he posses many positive traits that I hope I can develop.

Since junior is always considering himself weaker and smaller than most and then since coming to Reardan has definitely improved his confidence in himself. I find that very respectful and considering who his character is you can tell that he deserves this break and to have a good time through being an outcast. Also it's very cool to think that by just being your self you can do a lot and come very far in your life.

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Matt Rose

9/3/2014 01:29:50 pm

"For about two minutes, we all sat quiet. Who knew what to say? And then my mother started laughing. And that set us off all laughing." pg.166
I really enjoyed this moment book because even though Ted the billionaire gave every ones hopes up with this amazing story of coming across a stolen powwow outfit from 10 years ago and returning it the day of the funeral, just to realize his info was wrong and it wasn't the grandmas. The Indians turned this into something that was funny and it made me happy to see a sudden change in mood, I have always hated reading books once it got to the sad parts, because they are usually very depressing and it made it even more sweeter to see this good change in atmosphere.

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Abby Elliott

9/3/2014 02:09:14 pm

I agree. I am always grateful for comic relief in a book.

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Nicole Matteson

9/3/2014 03:05:27 pm

I loved the change in atmosphere in this part too! it lightens the mood which always makes it easier to read

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Eddie Herrera

9/3/2014 03:08:10 pm

I have to disagree, the book stated that laughter was just the same as exchanging tears, I also don't think they're intention was to make it funny, because death isn't funny at all. I think the author was trying to show that joy and laughter is the only light or hope that we have. Pain is universal, but so is hope. Eddie 2k14

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Camila Antonorsi

9/3/2014 01:31:22 pm

"Like she'd baptized me with her pain."
i think that this quote shows just how much pain the mother was in. Children are not supposed to die before the parent does. having someone die is a BIG DEAL especially if they are close to you, it makes you feel empty for a while but then you just become grateful that they even existed. i think that a lot of people can relate to this because most of us has had someone close to us die. how sad is that! Junior has faced so much in this book adding his sitters death to it is like another slap to the face. but this has built his character and has made him strong!!!

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Matt Rose

9/3/2014 01:58:29 pm

I agree its quite sad to see a family go through so much pain that all they can think about is when will it stop.

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Ryan Cormack

9/3/2014 03:42:17 pm

I agree that it made him a stronger person and built his character more.

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Lucas LeVieux

9/3/2014 01:44:39 pm

"I suddenly wanted to apologize to Rowdy, to all of the other Spokanes. I was suddenly ashamed that I'd wanted so badly to take revenge on them. I was suddenly ashamed of my anger, my rage, and my pain."

Junior has just had his greatest victory. This is the single moment in the book where Junior is as happy as he can be. But at some point he realizes that every win for him is a loss for someone else. This is one of the main lessons of life, and we must learn grace and sportsmanship.

Junior is an empathetic and reflective person. He realized, amidst all of the celebration, that something was really wrong. That it was wrong to be so proud of beating people that have so much hardship. It's hard to say he completely right, Junior seems to often have strong conflicting emotions.

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Tristan Elghoroury

9/3/2014 02:03:45 pm

yea,that part was really emotional for me.I was so happy for Junior that I had forgotten all the problems that were still there.The author seems to know that you would be feeling that and he/she really smacks the reality in your face when Junior realizes that.

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Rena Dillenbeck

9/3/2014 02:23:24 pm

I totally agree, often times people don't realize that every win for them is a loss for someone else. I think people should step back and realize that before they go celebrate a big win.

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Kendall Tally

9/3/2014 01:45:21 pm

"Grandparents are supposed to die first, but they're supposed to die of old age. They're supposed to die of a heart attack or a stroke or of cancer or of Alzheimer's. THEY ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO GET RUN OVER AND KILLED BY A DRUNK DRIVER!"

Although Junior's grandma is elderly, her life is brought to an untimely end by a drunk driver. Junior feels like he's been robbed of his grandmother by the rampant alcoholism on the reservation; she had never even had any alcohol herself. As in the case of his dog Oscar, Arnold see's her death as preventable. She was taken unfairly by something that already effects his family greatly.

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Morgan King

9/3/2014 01:52:08 pm

Okay, I really like how you were the first to comment on this quote. I really do understand where you are going with the analogy, and it reminds me of people who were taken unfairly throughout the last twenty years. Even though they are gone, they have left some kind of legacy, as the grandmother had done.

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Jack Campbell

9/3/2014 01:53:55 pm

I like how you compared it to oscars death, I had not made that connection

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Anonymustard

9/3/2014 02:26:31 pm

deep.

Rena Dillenbeck

9/3/2014 02:27:42 pm

I really like how you made the connection to Oscar's death, but if you think about it, most deaths are preventable, like if someone dies of cancer, it isn't always preventable but there are things you can do to try to prevent it. Or like if someone dies from drinking too much, that is completely preventable.

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Zeke

9/3/2014 02:45:32 pm

I feel like the pain and grief of a death, leads us to think that maybe the death was preventable that maybe we could have done something. but in reality it was far beyond our reach. Maybe a morning strategy, a way of saying that it is my fault, and that's why I feel so bad.

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Hunter Birk

9/4/2014 08:28:52 am

I think that Junior is really angry and rightfully so, but I disagree, I think aside from the etmtional effects it hasnt done a great deal physicslly.

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Jack Campbell

9/3/2014 01:50:08 pm

"Of course, ever since white people showed up and brought along their Christianity and their fears of eccentricity, Indians of gradually lost all of their tolerance.”
This quote reminded me of the chapter of a People's history that we read, and the lecture that Mrs. Clark gave in class today. Throughout the entire chapter of a People's history, it explained how because the Europeans were coming over and settling on Native American land, their traditions and lifestyles were being disrupted. Not only did the Europeans commit genocide on a majority of their population, but they also killed a lot of their traditions. This is what junior is talking about with how the Indians, and people in general, have lost their tolerance for others.

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Abby Elliott

9/3/2014 02:05:46 pm

So true and so sad that the white man stripped the Natives of their way of life believing that their way of life was superior to that of the Natives.

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Benjamin Rose

9/4/2014 12:57:29 am

I like this analysis because I think it's true, I think that after being persecuted for many years, you begin to lose your own tolerance. That's why some groups that were persecuted for many years have turned their prejudices around back to who persecuted them today.

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Tristan Elghoroury

9/3/2014 01:55:42 pm

"I wasn't expected to be good,so I wasn't"

This qoute really got me because it is so true.If you are not supported and being believed in,then it is really hard for you to achieve anything.This qoute really reminded me of the qoute that is on our syllabus,written by John Steinbeck,"It is the nature of man to rise to greatness if greatness is expected of him".I can see so many similarities between these qoutes and it really shows that Junior is really far ahead in his thinking,saying things like Steinbeck! I also think that Juniors 'never give up' attitude then helped him have a "legacy in a white town" when he excells in his basketball skills and dominates!The fact that he keeps this mindset even though alot of his family and friends are having a really hard time ,with some even passing away,is just an amazing accomplishment for a kid his age in his circumstances.

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Nicole Matteson

9/3/2014 03:10:58 pm

I totally agree!! John Steinbeck is one of my favorite authors
Great connection!

This quote makes me think back to when I studied the nomadic ways of the Native Americans in 3rd grade. The Natives prior to the white man's arrival were nomads-they stayed in one region, but changed locations to find climates conducive to food and shelter. Rowdy is giving Junior an indirect compliment when he calls him nomadic. Rowdy is telling Junior that Junior will always be a nomad seeking new pasture to gain knowledge and experience. It is wonderful that Rowdy took a definition that applies to the old Native ways and made it contemporary. Junior's heart is warmed by Rowdy's comment/compliment. If I lived on the rez and was as uneducated as the people there, I would probably find Junior's nomadic behavior obnoxious. The rez folks think Junior is a traitor. How great that his true friend believes in him?

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Rena Dillenbeck

9/3/2014 02:11:12 pm

"Drunk for a week, my father must have really wanted to spend that five dollars. Shoot, you can a bottle of the worst whiskey for five dollars. He could have spent that five bucks and been drunk for another day or two. But he saved it for me. It was a beautiful and ugly thing." (Page 151)

This quote really stood out to me because my father is an alcoholic too. Sure, I took the money he gave me, but I never really saw it as a "beautiful" thing, I felt like he needed to make up for the times he left us at home with my mom and got drunk, and he thought he could make up for that by buying us what we asked for (if it was in reason) but I was so young, I didn't know what to do other than just go with it, I didn't know what I should say to him, so I just accepted it. I guess like sacrificing something you like to make your child happy is a beautiful thing, but it isn't if the child has been affected too much by something that isn't too beautiful, like addiction to alcohol. I can totally understand how it is ugly too. I mean like why go waste your money on something that only you have fun doing, why not take that money and make memories with your family? Yeah, I'm probably going in too deep with telling everyone about my relationship with my dad, but whatever, it's what I thought of when I read this part.

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Eli Murguia

9/3/2014 03:11:28 pm

Dang Rena, you were really able to connect with Arnold. I like how you also kind of added as to what Junior would have said since you knew a lot about the things that he talked about. And I agree with how you felt about your dad/Juniors dad going out to drink. If they wanted to just go and spend all of their money on alcohol then they should have either thought twice about having a family or should receive three times as much crap as they are giving to their families because they aren't the ones who deserve it.

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Kane McGrath

9/3/2014 02:26:48 pm

“she went searching for her dreams, and she didn't find them. But she made the attempt.”

It ment a lot to me when she went searching for dreams and she didn't find them, but the fact that she tried was worth something. it is something I've experienced a lot in my life, there have been a lot of dreams I've had, of doing great things, of putting myself into the world, and believe me, I've tried almost all, and I can say I am glad that i tried. Sometimes I realized i was in over my head, but now I've accumulated a large pile of knowledge that will help me throughout my future. But more than that, I believe it's really important that she made an attempt, or that anyone makes an attempt to accomplish their dreams because if you shoot for the stars you might just end up in space. And if you don't then you'll stay on earth and rot and die. When I was around 10 years old I always one to program my own game. It wasn't as much as making a video game, as it was just making my own world. that's always what I've wanted to do, create my own world, with it's own dynamics, it's on life like, that you can see and feel, and I worked hard towards that dream. I spent a long time learning how to program making different things testing finding out how to make a game. Not just in the programming but 3-D modeling texturing all the components required, I want to do it all by myself. But now the passion is dying down and it just remains as a dream, a dream that I still want to accomplish but I don't have the time to give. And I always think about this anytime I have a dream and I want to try learn something do something I always think about this moment that's why this quote spoke to me a lot I recognize it I connected with It made sense. But not too long after I realized, the attempt of following my dreams had become very essential. because now I had the knowledge of how to program and how to make 3D models and you textures despite never accomplishing my dream I have the knowledge that will help me go through college, or get a job. So whenever I have a new dream, or idea, or a new passion, I look back upon that moment and I see that what I've learned is far greater than the initial dream itself.

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Grant

9/3/2014 04:10:35 pm

I really liked how you incorporated your own story to go along with the quote.

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Shea Saulino

9/4/2014 01:43:38 am

I absolutely agree that this was such a turning point in the book- Junior learned that it's okay to reach for the stars but only touch the sky. I loved this quote and this passage.

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Eddie Herrera

9/3/2014 02:27:33 pm

"I was crying tears of shame" pg 196

After defeating Wellpinit Redskins, Arnold was ashame that he had let his anger get the best of him. He was crying because he realized to the Redskins this game meant everything to them. He realized that everyone on his team didn't have the same problems as the other team. They played for a better future, for hope. While the other team played for leisure.To the other team this game could have impacted their life for the good. While the other team already had everything they wanted. This team already had their wings while the Redskins are waiting for the opportunity to fly. In life we all get carried away by who we are trying to defeat or surpass, that we don't realize to them this might be the only opportunity they have to make something of them selves. We become so self centered that we forget that others are in harder situations and instead of reaching out our hands to help them, we trample over them and forget about cooperation.

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Julia Serna

9/3/2014 02:58:05 pm

I agree with your statement we often forget to help each other because of greed.

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Alexis Miranda

9/4/2014 01:58:46 am

Hello, yes I do agree with this statement as well. I love how you explained both teams situations

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Ezekiel Mortensen

9/3/2014 02:39:09 pm

"If you let people into your life a little bit, they can be pretty damn amazing."

Arnie narrates this right after his confession to Penelope and Roger about being poor.

I think this quote puts Arnie's fears into perspective. I mean, he's a Native American living among racists. Which when you say it alone, makes you feel a little unsafe. But, maybe Arnie is a little racist in his own way. He's afraid of whites, kind of, and he shows it. He's afraid that if everyone found out that he was actually poor, all his hard work of building relationships would be destroyed.

This quote proves that Arnie is learning to trust people a little more, and learning about the kinds of people that can be trusted.

The kids at Rearden don't know what to think when they see an Indian maybe. Neither does Arnie. This confusion is cleared up only by the actions of both sides. Maybe.

I am begging to think that the people on the reservation are worse than the white folks. Sure the white folks are racist. But, the Indians would beat the hell out of Arnie. I would rather have dealt with the whites. Really everything they know about each other, all the common knowledge is false information spread via rumors.

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Justin Reyes

9/3/2014 02:41:56 pm

"Its pretty," Rowdy said. "I've never seen anything so pretty." It was the only time I'd ever hear him talk like that.

For some apparent reason this quote made me smile like never before. Rowdy is tough as nails, and he has a relationship with Junior like no other. This quote to me was really astonishing especially since it was coming from the one and only Rowdy. Even with Junior seeming to be confused with Rowdy's emotions based on the fact of him leaving the reservation for the best, that doesn't mean that it should determine the fate of their friendship. Rowdy and Junior are always hard on each other, always driving one another to keep on pushing themselves to the limit. They always have each-others backs. Rowdy is like the brother that Junior never had, and all of Rowdy's sayings/actions have a purpose which makes their friendship so unique in every way.

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Grant

9/3/2014 04:12:48 pm

I liked your quote and your analysts on it.

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Shea Saulino

9/4/2014 01:45:41 am

I loved this quote! It made me smile as well!

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Alexis Miranda

9/4/2014 02:25:26 am

Your right, this was probably the most surprising part of the book. I never pictured Rowdy saying anything like that.

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Nicole Matteson

9/3/2014 02:53:08 pm

"I mean, you have to love somebody that much, to hate somebody that much"

This quote stood out to me because it reminded me of something i learned last year. I learned that the opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. Indifference means you simply don't care about the other person, however in this case Rowdy and Junior care so much about eachother they try so hard to impact the other. Even if their intentions are to hurt the others' spirits, they still have some sort of feelings for eachother. Deep down i personally believe that Rowdy still see's Junior as his best friend too. I think that Rowdy was just upset, he let his anger and his discontent with change overpower his brotherly love with Junior.

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Sarah Lockhart

9/4/2014 02:06:40 pm

The quote is great and the connection to your own life was amazing!

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Eli Murguia

9/3/2014 02:53:23 pm

"It all gave me hope. It gave me a little bit of joy. That's the only way I managed to make it through all of that death and change."

I had just found this quote really inspiring in general. He had just lost two important people in his life and then was too weak to really fight or even really have the motive to go on anymore when being mocked. But I found this statement really powerful because he was able to find joy amidst all the chaos in his life, and it was because of people that cared for him. People that accepted him and stood up for what was right no matter the color of his skin. And that was how he was able to be happy and find joy and hope again. Friends can really have a deep impact on people and it was really the lifting point to mending back together Arnold's battered spirit.

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Jonathan R

9/3/2014 04:52:06 pm

I agree that friends are people who can bring you out of the worst of funks a better person.

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Julia Serna

9/3/2014 02:54:08 pm

"I've come to realize that every single moment of my life is important"pg 184

When I first read this quote I was shocked. Through out Junior's life the little things that have been done or given to him as had a huge impact. When he had lost his dog, he had lost hope, he had lost someone he cherished and that feeling is like no other. Even though he had lost his dog, we was able to pull through by everyone act of sympathy. This quote holds a lot of truth, the little things or moments can have a huge impact on our lives whether it be good or bad, it's just up to us if we take it.

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Michele Moua

9/3/2014 03:09:26 pm

"Forgive him"

It takes a lot of strength to forgive someone for their hurtful actions, especially if they don't deserve it. Juniors grandmother had so much love and respect for everyone. Every one wants to be even, revenge is best served cold. But, being able to just move past these kinds of things takes real strength, love and respect. Every one wanted to kill the man responsible for this accident; but out of love and respect for grandma they pursue her last wish, forgiveness.

What happened was awful, but it really strikes me on how blandly it was conveyed in the story. "she was struck and killed by a drunk driver" Several mature, adult themes and situations are passed by in this book so insensitively. Seeing that this is told through the perspective of a teenager says a lot about whats he's exposed to. We have such a privilege to live our pampered, sheltered lives, and we don't even realize it, we all take it for granted. Its so hard for me to try and imagine what others lives might be like outside of mine because i'm not exposed to that.

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Dylan L

9/3/2014 03:29:36 pm

Ichy- you make some really good points. It is really saddening to see how pampered we are compared to the folks on the reservation. I was so surprised at how blatant Arnold was when he was covering Grandmother's death. It seemed like he was so "hardened" and it didn't seem emotional; his lack of emotional did make the story very heart-wrenching for me.

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Kane McGrath

9/3/2014 03:30:44 pm

I liked your quote and Your analysis on it.

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Srdja

9/3/2014 03:21:50 pm

In fact, last week, she was walking back home from a mini powwow at the Spokane Tribal Community Center, when she struck and killed by a drunk driver. (grandmother)

I really needed to read this three or four times. I couldn't belive what I read. I mean, it realy hurt my heart. That qoute threw me out of the chair, seriously. I can't belive that poor Junior lost another person in his humble life. In that point of the reading this occurrence was really sad. I hadn't know how Junior can continue living. His heart was damaged many times and he is still fighting. That is really impresive. Later Eugene died too. I don't know how I do not know how I'd get accustomed to this situation. This kid really has no luck.

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Dylan L

9/3/2014 03:24:30 pm

I did the exact same thing, Srdja. I read that sentence probably 5 times. I couldn't believe what I was reading. You do seem to be correct, though- Junior is completely out of luck.

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Dylan L

9/3/2014 03:22:25 pm

"I mean, you have to love somebody that much to also hate them that much, too."

I totally agree with what Arnold is saying here. For me at least, whenever I feel "hatred" for someone, they are almost always someone who I love, or loved. I'm not saying I hate everyone I love, but I think to be able to hate someone with so much passion, you need to love or have loved them. This would cause a lot of pain, thus enabling such hatred. It's really sad, but if you really think about it, it's true. You're never going to hate someone who you just know as much as someone you love. Actually, I feel it's more like 'used to love.' Anyway, I'm really torn to see Arnold state his hatred for his best friend so blatantly. It's really sad, and makes you feel like Arnold is becoming cold (but he has been through a lot of crap).

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Kane McGrath

9/3/2014 03:34:44 pm

Your Quote made a lot of sense, it gave me new perspective on the quote

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Jackson

9/3/2014 03:23:35 pm

"Ninety percent of me wanted to take that break. But I knew if I took that break I would never make the team.”

I chose this quote because I feel like we have all been their. We have all wanted to just give up at times but we push through the hard time to get to the good times. Personally speaking when I was in MUN I just wanted to give up on working at our conferences but I new that if I Pushed through I could get community service hours and have a good debate. I think It also shows what kind of person Junior is. He is the type of kid to keep trying even when he knows he will lose. This takes a lot of guts and I think we should all strive to be that person.

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Ryan Cormack

9/3/2014 03:40:54 pm

"Well, life is a constant struggle between being an individual and being a member of the community"

I think this quote really sums up the problem that Junior has been having. He feels like he's living a totally different life at school than he's living at the reservation, and he's almost torn between the two. He talks about lying about the fact that he lives in poverty to fit in with his friends at school or even to make friends in the first place. At winter formal, he finally tells his friends that he's poor and they are accepting of it, and he states that he's glad that he let them in. As Junior meets more people and figures out what he wants to do, he branches more and more to be his own individual and even though he knows family is important, he knows he isn't accepted and would rather do other things with his life.

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Jonathan R

9/3/2014 04:49:44 pm

I like how you talked about what happened to him when he started to move from one of the two to the other.

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Dillon

9/3/2014 03:57:57 pm

"And somebody tried to cool some soup on a hot plate. And they forgot about it and left. And a curtain drifted in on the wind and caught the hot plate, and the trailer burned down quick."

First i have to say there are just way to many ANDs here but this is why you don't drink to the point of passing out it can be hazardous to your health in more than just liver damage. especially when you have other people over drinking. His sister should have known better with all the death that happened this chapter due to alcohol alone.

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Grant

9/3/2014 04:06:02 pm

"I shouldn't be in the school at all"

When he says this quote he is kind of debating the positives of moving schools, and the negatives about it ,but I don't think that is the part that matters. I think he really learned something from moving schools weather he needed to or not. When he did this he initially thought that it would be better, but he learned that every place will have its problems. After he found this out I think that he really learned to work around problems that he faced. This made him have an overall better experience with life in general. Lastly it also gave him a better understanding of his whole town and everyone around him.

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Kane McGrath

9/3/2014 04:09:09 pm

I liked your analysis, it gave me a new perspective on the quote.

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Jonathan Richeson

9/3/2014 04:46:32 pm

"We had defeated the enemy! We defeated the champions! We were David who'd thrown the stone into the brain of Goliath!
Then I realized something."
When Junior finally beats Rowdy and his former school he feels so over joyed. He's finally toppled the man who could always beet him up and has gotten revenge on Rowdy abandoning him. But even though he finally accomplished greatness by leaving the rez, he looked back to truly find what he had left behind. Rowdy had always lost to Reardan, but he always had Junior there to help with his father problems. This time the both of them realize that they messed up, and I love how they come back together when they email each other.

"I have to prove that I am stronger than everybody else, I have to prove that I will never give up I will never quite playing hard, And I don't just mean in basketball. I'm never going to quite living life this hard. you know?" ( pg 187)

When I read this I thought of how much confidence he had grown since the beginning of the book and how he took on every challenge that came his way. I especially like the part where he says "I have to prove that I will never give up" When I read this I just thought of how I view different situations and hardships of life and sometimes you may stumble at first but you just have to get back up and to get through trials of life and learn to face them head on.

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Chenoa Levy

9/3/2014 06:34:44 pm

Junior really has grown from the beginning. If he was in the sam situation earlier I think he would have quit or shy away, but instead he's starting to stand up for himself.

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Alexis Miranda

9/3/2014 05:32:05 pm

"I felt helpless and stupid. I needed books. I wanted books. And I drew and drew and drew cartoons."

At first when I read this part of the story I was absolutely shocked. This just made me feel really sad knowing that Juniors grandmother and Eugene died. I mean, can it get any worse for Junior at this point? Knowing that he has lost two very close people in his life, he thought that God was giving him grief. I chose this quote because I love that he is trying to get over the situation by doing things that makes him happy, like reading books and drawing cartoons. That's what I love about Junior, even though he is in a position where he has nothing else to lose, he would always find a way to make himself comfortable.

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Isaac Fernandez

9/3/2014 11:35:41 pm

Yeah! I think its always good to have something like how he has drawing to keep you happy during something like that.

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Kevin Stiemke

9/7/2014 04:51:48 am

Yeah. I agree. I think it is always good to do things you like after you've been feeling really bad.

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Chenoa Levy

9/3/2014 06:26:38 pm

"My grandmother last act on earth was a call for forgiveness, love , and tolerance."pg. 157

It's always hard to forgive someone who has hurt you. It takes so much strength to get past the pain and learn to forgive. It must of been so painful to have look past what the man did to their family and forgive him. Although they did it to respect his grandmothers last wish, it's still an amazing feat. I personally don't think I would ever have the strength or will to do what they did. I think more people can learn from his grandmothers words and learn to forgive.

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Isaac Fernandez

9/3/2014 11:33:47 pm

"It was like the coffin was settling down for a long, long nap, for a forever nap. That was it."

This part in the story really sucks. I know when you lose someone who is close to you it definitely can pull the tablecloth from underneath you. I remember when I lost my great grandma, I just didn't understand it. How could someone I used to see all of time just not be here anymore. I know as people and even especially as kids when something like this happens we really try to just avoid that that person is gone. I know when my grandma died I was 8. I kept on just trying to think that she was gonna come back somehow. I honestly think when you lose someone who is a key role in your life like his sister was to him, it's just a weird feeling.

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Benjamin Rose

9/4/2014 12:53:01 am

“We were supposed to be happy with our limitations. But there was no way Penelope and I were going to sit still. Nope, we both wanted to fly.”

I like this quote because I think it talks about overcoming societal stereotypes and just doing what you aspire to do in life, no matter if you’re an Indian or a white girl from a small town. I think it shows that both Junior and Penelope are sick of their stereotypical lives; one, a poor Indian boy from a poor Indian reservation and the other, a popular girl from a small town in Washington. Society loves to give people the paths that it thinks they should choose, instead of letting they themselves choose. I think it’s important to recognize the importance of choosing your own path for yourself, and I think that that’s what this quote is about.

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Hesham

9/4/2014 02:11:04 pm

This quote stood out to me as well because there is no limit of what you can achieve. Good job analyzing this quote.

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Allison Hopkins

9/4/2014 01:22:49 am

"Okay, so maybe my white teammates had problems, serious problems, but none of their problems was life threatening. But I looked over at the Wellpinit Redskins, at Rowdy. I knew that two or three of those Indians might not have eaten breakfast that morning." Pg 195

As junior began making friends at Reardan he didn't think about the problems back on the reservation. He let himself get submersed in a life he saw as so much better than his own. After this game and once the anger faded he realized that those boys had tried so much harder, most of them were playing hungry. The basketball game was one of the only things they looked forward to and some of them were going to be beaten by their fathers for not winning. Junior realized that even though winning was a huge thing for Reardan, if they didn't win nothing would happen. Junior looks at this game and thinks that since he caused them to win he is also causing one of his best friends to get beaten.
At the beginning of the book when Junior comes to Reardan he tells us how the students there took what they had for granted. The longer that Junior attends that school he adapts that mind set.

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Shea Saulino

9/4/2014 01:41:09 am

"They needed me to be good. They expected me to be good. And so I became good."

This quote in the book became empowering for not only Junior but also the reader. As he dealt with the struggle to fit in, he found in himself a message that gave him power, thus giving us (the reader) power. I truly believe this was the most important part of the book because this is when he learned to accept himself, and us (the reader) learned to accept, appreciate, and adapt to him.

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Hunter Birk

9/4/2014 08:25:08 am

Quote: " I spit on my hands, rubbed them together and reached up for the first branch. I pulled myself up to the second branch. And then the next and next."

I think that this represents Junior trying to concour something new. After his dad told him the story of the hourse in the in the lake I though he would be discouraged. Also I think after his grandma died I would have impacted him more. But I think Rowdy being around him and him being below him motivated him. I think that if he didnt have Rowdy he wouldnt have been as encouraged to try new things.

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Mikey Saunders

9/4/2014 08:29:52 am

"forgive him."
I chose this quote because to me it really shows how his grandma's character is. Junior's grandma choosing to forgive the drunk driver made me think about the This I Believe about the women who convicted the man of raping her. I think that choosing to forgive someone other then blaming them for their actions shows a lot of character and proves that theres always a better path.

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Sarah Lockhart

9/4/2014 01:41:21 pm

I really liked this quote too and I love your connection to the This I Believe essay; I didn't think of that!

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Kevin

9/7/2014 04:46:48 am

I like this quote too, and I liked the way you compared this to one of the This I Believes.

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Sarah Lockhart

9/4/2014 01:39:50 pm

"My grandmother's last act on earth was a call for forgiveness, love, and tolerance." 157

Arnold's grandmother has always been a role model for him. She was a very loving person and she was someone he would go to for advice. Even in her last moments when she had every right to be angry and hateful towards the man who had taken her life, she was kind and forgave him. I think that is really beautiful and will really inspire Arnold throughout his life. While her death was a tragedy, she left a small but powerful legacy. Even Arnold's father was moved by it and left the drunk driver alone.

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Hesham

9/4/2014 02:09:08 pm

This quote is really touching, and I like the way you reflected on this quote.

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Hesham Hamed

9/4/2014 02:07:26 pm

"I used to think that the world was broken down by tribes,"I said. By black and white. By Indian and white. But I know that isn't true. The world is only broken into two tribes: The people who are assholes, and the people who are not."

This quote is awesome! In life there really are people that are just assholes and there are people that are nice. You will encounter these people everywhere and they can be anyone. Junior had alot of guts saying this to his teacher. He is just an awesome person and his classmates are also awesome because they stood up for him.

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Kevin Stiemke

9/7/2014 04:43:45 am

''I mean, yeah my dad would sometimes go on a binge and be gone for a week, but those white dads can completely disappear without leaving the living room.''

I picked this quote, because it helps me think about what true happiness is. People can have all the money in the world, but if there dad doesn't even have time to spend time with them then there not really happy. Even when a family is poor, but they spend more time with there kids it seems like there usually more happy than most families. I think that its good that Juniors dad goes to all of his events, because not every dad can do that. It makes there family a little happier even though he lost a lot of people in his life.

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